How nations use maps to make the world revolve around them

Maps are more about propaganda than geography, according to a new exhibition of 2,000 years of map-making.

The British Library show, which includes dozens of maps never seen before, demonstrates that they were used to impress and indoctrinate.

The Nazis created one that showed how much of Europe they intended to control, in Restoration Britain wealthy merchants used a print to demonstrate their loyalty to Charles II and the 17th century Portuguese produced a map suggesting the world outside Europe should be Portuguese — and Catholic.

In the mid 1780s an American map moved the prime meridian line and centre of the world to Philadelphia as a statement of post-independence power.

Nineteenth century cartoonists tackled the politics of Disraeli and Gladstone against the backdrop of a UK map and amid references to hot political issues such as the war in Afghanistan and the national debt.

Peter Barber, head of map collections at the British Library, said: "Maps are propaganda tools. They are not primarily to do with geography and travel, they're to do with being human."

This explained why so many had been so decorative, he said. The decoration indicated wealth and power and gives further clues as to their real meaning. In some cases, they were enormous.

"This is why three-quarters of the maps here have never been shown before because they didn't fit in with conventional map exhibitions. Many of them are not the last word in accurate surveys," he added.

The earliest map in the show dates from 200AD and is part of an outline of Rome while the most recent was made by Turner Prize winner Grayson Perry. Magnificent Maps: Power, Propaganda and Art opens tomorrow and runs until September 19, admission free.